APU students longing to stroll through the streets of foggy London and applying for the fall 2016 Oxford study-away program will notice some big changes implemented this year.
According to the Center for Global Learning and Engagement, APU has changed its provider to the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU). The program will no longer be offered through the university but will be arranged through the Best Semester program.
Kelly LaRash, assistant director of communication and recruitment for the Center for Global Learning and Engagement, said this change in the program will provide many opportunities and benefits for future Oxford students.
“We believe this program arrangement will be an upgrade for most majors, with the potential of better course transferability, elevated student status, more access to resources and libraries and a stronger commitment to thriving with colleagues from Christian colleges across North America,” LaRash said.
“Also, we are quite excited about the upgrade in student status with this new program. If an APU student gets accepted to the program, [he or she] will be a registered visiting student at the University of Oxford.”
Casey Suh, sophomore liberal studies major, applied for the fall 2016 program and expressed excitement concerning the changes to the curriculum.
“Students now have another course other than tutorials, either the British landscape or the undergraduate research seminar,” Suh said. “Both are related to their primary tutorials, and they include lectures and discussions with other students. I like that we can now have classes with other students because it gives us opportunities to interact with others and see their point of view on the topic.”
According to LaRash, the switch will impact the cost of the program minimally.
“APU students will be able to take federal and state financial aid,” LaRash said. “Unique to this Oxford program, a $3,500 CGLE Grant will also be given to those accepted into our new Oxford program with the CCCU. There are minimal differences in the cost of the program, but the $3,500 CGLE Grant will be helpful to augment those costs.”
APU scholarships will not transfer to the Oxford program. Suh said the cost of the program will change for many applicants.
“It does affect me in that my APU scholarship will not be applied. However, the program’s tuition is cheaper and APU is giving students who are accepted a $3,500 grant. In my case, there is not a lot of difference financially between the two providers,” Suh said.
Junior English major Katy Bennett, a current participant in the Oxford program, does not believe these changes should discourage students from going.
“Though the changes being made in the study abroad office are significant, I would still recommend other students to apply to Oxford,” Bennett said.
“It is an amazing opportunity to not only live abroad, but also to study at a world-class university alongside pretty amazing minds,” she added.
Bennett, who has been studying abroad for eight weeks now, said the academic rigor of the program drew her to Oxford initially.
“I loved the idea of picking a few topics that I am particularly passionate about and spending a semester really digging deep into them,” she said. “Also, it didn’t hurt that the Oxford semester lends itself to European travels, since I had never been to Europe before.”
In light of her own Oxford experience, Bennett said she encourages other students to apply to the program.
“It is an opportunity you simply cannot pass up. I am confident that APU will want to serve you in the best way possible throughout the application process as well. I say go for it.”
The Oxford program is currently taking applications for the fall 2016 and spring 2017 semesters.